General Rosary Intention: That the Father in His Divine Mercy – through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Mercy, may build up His Kingdom, make these mysteries a reality in our lives, strengthen us in our common mission, and come to the aid of those for whom we pray.

Africa (Green Beads)

Intention – That the Lord Jesus through the intercession of St. Mary, Our Lady of Africa, may come to the aid of those affected by the humanitarian crisis in Nigeria. May the Lord help all those affected by man-made and natural disasters in Africa.

Disaster: Humanitarian Crisis Map of Nigeria Extract from Boko Haram blamed in looming humanitarian crisis in Nigeria’s northeast: “A frail woman hesitates for a moment before handing over her sick child to a nurse. “This child cannot stand,” says another medic as the severely malnourished boy is carried to the intensive care unit at the Gwange therapeutic feeding center on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria’s Borno state. That scene, captured on video by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), plays out countless times in the northeastern state, where hunger is rampant, according to new numbers. The group says 500,000 people are in urgent need of food, shelter and medical care. Nearly 244,000 children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Borno state and an estimated 49,000 of them, about 1 in 5, will die if they don’t receive urgent treatment, UNICEF said in a new report.” See also: Coerced or committed? Boko Haram’s female suicide bombers.

Saint Mary, Our Lady of Africa (Feast Date: April 30) Extract from: May 1st: Algeria – Our Lady of Africa: “It was originally a small statue of the Madonna, set in a frame of shells at a spot often visited by Barbary robbers. Fishermen came there to pray for safe voyages. In time, the grotto became a chapel and eventually a large church. A great miracle made the revered chapel even better known. Archbishop Lavigerie of Algiers was on his way to Rome accompanied by seven hundred soldiers, priests, and a Trappist abbot when their ship was caught in a violent storm. The crew despaired of the ship’s safety. The archbishop had promised the Mother of God a pilgrimage to the shrine of “Our Lady of Africa” if she would save them. The ship was saved and the promise was kept.” See PICTURE of Our Lady of Africa.Our Lady of Africa.

Oceania (Blue Beads)

Intention – That the Lord Jesus through the intercession of Saint Mary, Our Lady of Guidance, the Patron Saint of Mariners, may come to the aid of those affected by the boat accident in Malaysian waters that claimed the lives of many Indonesians. May the Lord help all those affected by man-made and natural disasters in Oceania.

Disaster: Boat Accident Map of IndonesiaMap of Malysia. Extract from Eight dead, 20 missing in Malaysia boat accident off Johor: “Malaysia’s coast guard said Monday they had retrieved eight bodies after a boat capsized off the southern state of Johor at the weekend with another 20 people believed to be missing. Local media reported that the boat carrying 62 people – all Indonesians and thought to be illegal immigrants – capsized due to strong waves late on Saturday night. So far, 34 passengers have been rescued and a search was ongoing, an coast guard official said. ‘I could not save her although she was sitting on my lap at the time of the incident,’ a rescued man who lost his pregnant wife was quoted as saying in The Star. ‘It all seemed like a horrible nightmare.’ Those rescued have been handed over to the state’s immigration department. The English daily cited an immigration department official as saying that the Indonesians were believed to be making their way back to their own country.”. See also: 11 Indonesians Killed in Malaysia Boat Accident: Foreign Ministry.

Saint Mary, Our Lady of Guidance (Nuestra Señora De Guia): Patron Saint of Mariners (Feast Date: May 19) Extract from Our Lady of Guidance: “Our Lady of Guidance also known as the Nuestra Señora De Guia is enshrined in the Ermita Church. She is the titular patroness of the City of Manila. It is one of the oldest existing Marian images in the country. It was founded by a crew of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi on the shores of Manila Bay. It was assumed to have been left behind by Spanish missionaries who came to the islands earlier. The image was found lodging on the improvised altar made of Pandan palms. It was adored by natives who regarded it as a diwata. they were claiming that their ancestors owned the image. they told the Spaniards that the image has the power to make wishes come true. . . . A church document describes the images as follows: the image reveals a sarong-like bodice painted in the Chinese tradition of red, blue and gold paint… the unusual stance of the virgin, from the conservative stiffness of body line, has a bent torso very much like the Chinese goddess Kuan Yin. These characteristics shows the probability that the image may have come from an Asian or if brought by galleon traders, it could have been commissioned to an artist who gets inspiration from Asian models. After getting from the cult of pagan worship, the image was enshrined temporarily at the Manila Cathedral until a bayside church was constructed on the site it was found. In spite of its old age, the De Guia retained the ruddiness of its cheek and its youthful allure.” See PICTURE of Nuestra Senora de Guía. PRAYERS to Nuestra Senora de Guia. St. Mary, Our Lady of Guidance.

Europe

Intention – Intention – That the Lord Jesus through the intercession of Saint Mary, Our Lady of Altotting, the Patron Saint of Germany, may come to the aid of those affected by the attacks in the German cities of Munich, Ansbach, Wuerzbuerg and Reutlingen and elsewhere in Europe. May the Lord help all those affected by man-made and natural disasters in Europe.

Disaster: Deadly Attacks Map of Germany Extract from Bomb-carrying Syrian dies outside German music festival; 12 wounded: “German investigators looking into Friday’s mass shooting in Munich revealed on Sunday the gunman had spent more than a year preparing his attack. The 18-year-old shooter, identified only as David S., visited the site of a previous school shooting in the German town of Winnenden and took photographs, Bavarian investigator Robert Heimberger said. He said the shooter, who likely got his illegal weapon through the internet’s ‘dark net’ market, was an avid player of first-person shooter video games, including ‘Counter-Strike: Source. He also received inpatient psychiatric treatment in 2015 for two months, spokesman for the Munich prosecutor’s office Thomas Steinkraus-Koch told reporters. ‘The suspect had fears of contact with others’ and depression, the spokesman said. . . . Information from witnesses indicated that his hatred of foreigners might have played a role in the mass shooting, even though he himself was the German-born son of Iranian asylum-seekers. Most of the dead were youths and all were Munich residents of varied ethnic backgrounds. Hueseyin Bayri, who witnessed one boy’s death, told The Associated Press the shooter screamed a profanity about foreigners and said ‘I will kill you all’ as he pulled the trigger. A video shot of the perpetrator also showed him yelling anti-foreigner slurs. The gunman, a high-school student from Munich with Iranian and German citizenship, also wounded more than two dozen others Friday night before turning his illegal Glock 17 pistol on himself.” See also: Munich killer had planned his attack for a year, investigators reveal, Wuerzburg Train Attack: ISIS Flag Found in Teen Attacker’s Room in Germany, Ansbach explosion: Syrian asylum seeker killed by own bomb. Hollande: Deadly church attack in France carried out in name of ISIS.

St. Mary, Our Lady of Altotting: Patron Saint of Germany (Feast Date: August 5) Extract fromOur Lady of Altotting::”The Shrine of Our Lady of Altötting became very popular towards the end of the fifteenth century, actually 1489, as a result of a major miracle. A little child, about three years old, had gotten too close to the edge of the river, and had fallen in. Not being able to swim, he drowned. When his mother found the child, she lost control of her senses for a moment, and then heard an inner voice telling her to rush the dead body of the child to the Holy Chapel of Our Lady. She ran for all she was worth to the Chapel and laid the body of her child on the Altar of Our Lady. People who were in the church at the time joined the mother in praying for a miracle, which would bring the child back to life. All said they felt an awesome presence coming from the image of Our Lady just prior to the miracle taking place. After praying and wailing for what seemed to be a long time, the mother felt life coming back into her child.”See picture of Our Lady of Altotting.Our Lady of Altotting.

America (Red Beads)

Intention – That the Lord Jesus through the intercession of St. Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, the Patron Saint of the Sick, may come to the aid of those affected by the Zika Virus in Florida, U.S.A. May the Lord help all those affected by man-made and natural disasters in America.

Disaster: Zika Virus Map of Florida, U.S.A. Extract from Mosquitoes suspected in new Florida Zika cases: “Florida health officials are investigating two more mysterious cases of Zika infection that do not appear to be related to travel, bringing the total to four. The cases have raised the possibility that mosquitoes in the U.S. have begun to spread the virus. Florida officials say they are still looking into the cases and have not come to a conclusion. The four cases are in neighboring Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The cases fit a similar pattern seen when mosquito-borne clusters of two other tropical infections, dengue fever and chikungunya, occurred in Florida in the past, according to Tom Skinner, a spokesman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Evidence is mounting which points to local transmission via mosquitoes,” he said of the Florida cases. The virus is mainly spread by mosquitoes, as well as sex. So far, the 1,400 infections reported in the U.S. have been linked to travel to countries with Zika outbreaks in Latin America or the Caribbean. Zika causes only a mild illness in most people. But scientists recently confirmed that infection during pregnancy can lead to severe brain-related birth defects.” See also: Florida officials investigating 4 possible non-travel-related Zika cases, Florida tests more than 200 residents in Zika probe. Responses to Disasters in America: Haiti, Chile.

Saint Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes: Patron Saint of the Sick (Feast Date: February 11)Extract from Our Lady of Lourdes: On 11 February 1858, St Bernadette, at the age of 14 first had a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was out with her sister and a friend collecting firewood at Massabielle, near her home town of Lourdes in the South of France. ‘I heard the sound of wind as in a storm. I turned towards the meadow, and I saw that the trees were not moving at all…I went on taking my stockings off, and was putting one foot into the water, when I heard the same sound in front of me. I looked up and saw a cluster of branches and brambles underneath the topmost opening in the grotto tossing and swaying to and fro, though nothing else stirred all around. Behind these branches and within the opening, I saw immediately afterwards a girl in white, no bigger than myself, who greeted me with a slight bow of the head; at the same time, she stretched out her arms slightly away from her body, opening her hands, as in pictures of Our Lady: over her right arm hung a rosary. I was afraid, I stepped back. . . . Raising my eyes again, I saw the girl smiling at me most graciously and seeming to invite me to come nearer. . . .She crossed herself as though to pray. My hand was trembling. I tried again to make the sign of the Cross, and this time I could. After that I was not afraid. I said my Rosary. The young girl slipped the beads of hers through her fingers, but she was not moving her lips. While I was saying the rosary, I was watching as hard as I could. She was wearing a white dress reaching down to her feet, of which only the toes appeared. The dress was gathered very high at the neck by a hem from which hung a white cord. A white veil covered her head and came down over her shoulders and arms almost tot he bottom of her dress. On each foot I saw a yellow rose. The sash of the dress was blue, and hung down below her knees. The chain of the rosary was yellow; the beads white, big and widely spaced. The girl was alive, very young and surrounded by light. When I had finished my rosary, she bowed to me smilingly. She retired within a niche and disappeared all of a sudden.” See PICTURE of Our Lady of Lourdes. See also: Our Lady of Lourdes Novena. Our Lady of Lourdes.

Asia (Yellow Beads)

Intention – That the Lord Jesus through the intercession of St. Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, may come to the aid of those affected by the Tsukui Yamayuri-en care facility attack in Japan. May the Lord help all those affected by man-made and natural disasters in Asia.

Saint Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows (Feast Date: September 15) Extract from Our Lady of Sorrows: “The principal biblical references to Mary’s sorrows are in Lk 2:35 and Jn 19:26-27. The Lucan passage is Simeon’s prediction about a sword piercing Mary’s soul; the Johannine passage relates Jesus’ words to Mary and to the beloved disciple. Many early Church writers interpret the sword as Mary’s sorrows, especially as she saw Jesus die on the cross. Thus, the two passages are brought together as prediction and fulfillment. St. Ambrose (Dec. 7) in particular sees Mary as a sorrowful yet powerful figure at the cross. Mary stood fearlessly at the cross while others fled. Mary looked on her Son’s wounds with pity, but saw in them the salvation of the world. Our Lady of Sorrows–(articles, pictures). St. Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows.